Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama used the coming of Veteran’s Day to thank military vets Saturday and push administration efforts to ease their transition back into society.

“Now that more of them are coming home, we need to serve them as well as they served us,” Obama said in his weekly address. “That requires more than a simple ‘thank you’ – especially from those of us who’ve been elected to serve.”
Serving veterans, Obama said, is largely about ensuring they have jobs when they return to civilian life.

That’s why “I’m going to keep calling on Congress to do the right thing and pass the Veterans Jobs Corps,” Obama said in one of the few political elements of the address.

“Put our veterans to work rebuilding America.”

Obama touted many of the efforts already in place for veterans like providing education opportunities, placing an emphasis on hiring former service members for federal jobs and facilitating the private sector to do the same.

“Thanks to these efforts,” Obama said, “we’ve made progress getting our vets back to work. But we’ve got a lot more to do.”

soundoff(22 Responses)

900,000 vets are on food stamps, and have had their benefits cut. Do you think republicans in congress could take time away from their endless vacation, and help those who gave so much to our country?

November 9, 2013 06:38 am at 6:38 am |

ascpgh

How much unemployment is he responsible for by his quiet draw down of the military?

November 9, 2013 06:51 am at 6:51 am |

John Illinois

Any of the veterans think Obama gives a darn about you????? Nope, didn't think so!

November 9, 2013 07:56 am at 7:56 am |

The HAM

“we’ve made progress getting our vets back to work. But we’ve got a lot more to do.”

Especially when you are cutting over 100,000 members next year... should look great on that unemployment number when they all hit the street.

November 9, 2013 09:35 am at 9:35 am |

mickey doyle

tell that to the ww2 veteran who tried to get to his monument and crazy joe biden thanks the park ranger.and the next day the democratic congressmen break civil and federal laws to help the illegals .that veteran should be treated as a national treasure and he probably did more for this country than the park ranger,crazy joe biden or any of those illegal loving democratic politicians.every veteran in the country should remember that slap in the face of this veteran.i know me and my family will.

November 9, 2013 10:49 am at 10:49 am |

wendel

Thank's to our veterans.

November 9, 2013 11:48 am at 11:48 am |

Chris Wyman

Obama Stays Overnight in Florida to Play Golf. It's a TEE PARTY. FORE!!

Now obamas African illegal crack heads flash mob robberies in sports authority stores I wonder if Obama African Eric holder will do anything about this or is it another black panther holder African look the other way

Them Africans are such hard working honest people, you ever seen a African do any charity work

November 9, 2013 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

buongiorno

the VETERANS of this country are the reason AMERICA believes in it's self! Does it occur to the GOP that you are living off the fat of the land because ordinary citezins put their trust in you DISGRACEFUL YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED

2013 Obama Shut Down:
Obama Regime forces US Veterans away from memorials.
Obama Regime allows Illegal immigrants to protest US Law in the "closed" National Mall

November 9, 2013 01:32 pm at 1:32 pm |

anotherGDlefty

Well said Wendel.
Simple and to the point without political nonsense.
E

November 9, 2013 03:09 pm at 3:09 pm |

California

Democrats hate veterans and soldiers. They would spit on the when they came back from the Vietnam war.

November 9, 2013 03:52 pm at 3:52 pm |

ThinkAgain: The GOP owes our nation $24 billion

@ascpgh; "How much unemployment is he responsible for by his quiet draw down of the military?

Drawing down the military isn't the same as laying people off. You are one dim twit!

November 9, 2013 04:08 pm at 4:08 pm |

ThinkAgain: The GOP owes our nation $24 billion

Funny how repubs told us to never criticize the former president who spent 18 months "serving" stateside in a drunken stuper and who had a chicken hawk for a VP

but never cease attacking our current who got us out of Iraq, is getting us out of Afghanistan, who gave the kill order to Bin Laden and ordered drone strikes that have taken out the top al Qaeda leadership, who has made a priority helping returning vets find jobs (by offering tax cuts to companies that hire vets, expanding access to education for vets, etc.) and who created the Joining Forces initiative to support military families, among many other efforts.

November 9, 2013 04:14 pm at 4:14 pm |

ThinkAgain: The GOP owes our nation $24 billion

@mickey doyle: "tell that to the ww2 veteran who tried to get to his monument and crazy joe biden thanks the park ranger.and the next day the democratic congressmen break civil and federal laws to help the illegals .that veteran should be treated as a national treasure and he probably did more for this country than the park ranger,crazy joe biden or any of those illegal loving democratic politicians.every veteran in the country should remember that slap in the face of this veteran.i know me and my family will."

You and your idiot brethren, led by the likes of Cruz, were surprised that a government shutdown wouldn't affect the WW II Memorial – when it's part of the Park Service?

And you want to know why VP Biden supported the park ranger? Because she was doing her job, in a professional and polite manner. And when repub Rep. Randy Neugebauer of Texas berated her, she didn't get nasty – she treated him with respect.

If you're looking for someone to chew on, how about Dick Cheney? He's a chicken hawk who got a new heart on the taxpayer's dime – when my father-in-law, who served in Italy in WW II was denied one and died because of it – because his insurance company played God and decided he wasn't worth the money.

November 9, 2013 04:22 pm at 4:22 pm |

Marie MD

@ Mickey Doyle, get back to us when you can make sense. Your comment is a salad ala AK screecher.
A teaklan house member, along with the jokers who voted for the shutdown, are the ones going after our park rangers and lying through their teeth and fooling those veterans.
You from Texas? WOW!!!
@California, what? Just watch the Daily Show with one of our veterans who was injured thanks to the ghost WMDs and the mission accomplished nothing banner!

November 9, 2013 05:58 pm at 5:58 pm |

Marie MD

@California, the teaklans are the ones who hate veterans after they return and need help and not allow them to get it.
Once they are done with them the teaklans throw them out like yesterday's garbage then they go after women to have more babies they can send to their deaths in later years and the vicious cycle continues!

November 9, 2013 06:01 pm at 6:01 pm |

buongiorno

what is sooo ironic is that he practices sumi

November 9, 2013 06:25 pm at 6:25 pm |

Ben

So you got our backs huh?

Remember when the President vowed to fix the "broken VA beuracracy"? No? Well of course not, because he moved on from that promise pretty quickly without any kind of action.

Fast forward a couple of years and you will find that not only has the problem not been fixed, it hasn't even been addressed!!! This President has not had our backs. He has thumbed his nose at veterans throughout his entire time in office.

November 9, 2013 08:04 pm at 8:04 pm |

Data Driven

@the HAM,

"Especially when you are cutting over 100,000 members next year... should look great on that unemployment number when they all hit the street."

From Military dot com:

"The government shutdown cost the Defense Department at least $600 million in lost productivity and left DoD at funding levels that could force layoffs next year for the furloughed civilian personnel who just returned to work"

So, first of all HAM, those at the tip of the spear won't be affected before the civilian personnel will - get that straight. Secondly, you can blame the Republicans for the whole mess to begin with - their shutdown, their consequences ... which might turn out to be yours, if you're civilian working with the military.